Well, not entirely. Especially if you take into account that they would have gotten absolutely nothing by letting him walk at season's end. Mench, Nix, F.Cordero, and Julian Cordero aren't a group of guys that will make many fans get excited when they're returned in a deal that sends an All-Star local favorite packing. As a Brewers fan, I feel like they could have gotten more. From a realistic standpoint, I understand and accept that GM Doug Melvin knew how little the chances were of re-signing him in the offseason and he wouldn't have taken this deal if he didn't think it was the best offer out there. The disappointment of losing another star player in Milwaukee is hard to stomach at first, but Lee is medicore defensively and a young, promising club doesn't need to invest five years and $65 million into a 30-year old outfielder.

Comments....

Hey, I respect that you are trying to make the best of this Derek. I did the same thing when the Magic let Shaq, Penny, and T-Mac go. Luckily, they sent T-Mac to play with Yao and I am no longer a Magic fan. While Cordero should be the closer in Milwaukee, he's over 30 and is no longer a dependable guy. Mench is an average starter and Nix is a throw-in. Additionally, giving up Nelson Cruz makes the trade that much worse because he's going to step right in for Texas on Saturday. A lot of competitors have prospects i.e. Angels, Sox, Sawks, etc. The Brewers should have waited until the weekend for Soriano to be traded and the price would go up. At the least, the Brewers had to get back a top prospect and instead they gave one up.Posted by IronChef24 at 7/28/2006 12:32:00 PM

I think fleeced is a really strong word here. The Brewers get a guy who has produced on a level close to Lee over the previous two seasons (874/797 OPS vs 891/811) and is under contract for two more years, improve the bullpen for next year with Cordero (Melvin claims they are picking up his option), and a crappy CF in Nix. The Rangers get two months of Carlos Lee and a wildcard in Nelson Cruz. Cruz may just have the same production as Mench, meaning the deal really comes down to two months of Carlos Lee for 1 1/2 years of Cordero.

I'd love the deal if I were a Rangers fan because it definitely improves them for this season and allows them to make a run for the playoffs.

The downside for Brewers fans is more a lost opportunity cost rather than getting less value than giving up. The conventional wisdom was that they could get more for Lee, but of course we'll never actually know what other teams offered. Heck, they can always trade Cordero to the Reds for Adam Dunn and Bronson Arroyo, right? ;-)Posted by herbilk at 7/28/2006 1:24:00 PM

The problem with the Brewers trade isn't what they got, it's the opportunit cost. Even keeping Lee and getting the draft picks he'd earn when leaving may have been better.Posted by schoenke at 7/29/2006 3:13:00 PM

Plus, it wasn't unthinkable that the Brewers could win the wild card. They were in the thick of the hunt and management owed the fans a run unless they got a knockout package of prospects, which they didn't. People keep saying that Milwaukee had to do it cause they're a small market team, but the converse is that since they have few opportunities at the playoffs, why not play this season out and see how far they can go?Posted by IronChef24 at 7/30/2006 10:11:00 AM

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